Coined “Farmers for Climate Action: Rally for Resilience,” a grassroots alliance of farmers, farmworkers and farmer allies will be heading to Washington D.C. during the week of March 6, 2023, with a singular ask for policymakers: make climate change policy a priority in the 2023 Farm Bill. … Read More →
Farm Bill
NSAC’s Top 10 of 2022: A Year in Review
The end of a year signifies a time to reflect on all the most important accomplishments and tribulations of the past year. At NSAC, we had the opportunity to celebrate and find new reasons to expand our advocacy to support sustainable agriculture practices, small-scale producers, diversified farming, local food systems, and beginning and underserved farmers and ranchers. This post shares NSAC’s Top 10 accomplishments of 2022. … Read More →
NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform: Advancing Racial Equity Across the Food System
This is the fifth post in our series covering key pillars of NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform which discusses the need to craft a farm bill that advances racial equity by improving access to USDA funding and programs for underserved individuals and communities, and particularly farmers of color; increasing funding for programs and policies that support underserved communities and particularly farmers of color; and strengthening data collection, analysis, reporting, and transparency to inform racial equity-driven decision-making…. Read More →
Climate and Agriculture Policy Recommendations from House Climate Leaders
Two different bodies within the House of Representatives recently released recommendations for how to address climate change in agricultural legislation. Members of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) provided recommendations to House leadership on how to address climate change in the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization. In addition, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis (HSCCC) released a final report on its accomplishments as well as additional opportunities–including those that can be included in the next Farm Bill…. Read More →
NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform: Building a Climate-Resilient Future
This is the fourth post in our series covering key pillars of NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform which details how conservation programs and research centered on ecologically beneficial approaches can support farmers and their communities, contributing to a climate-resilient future. … Read More →
NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform: Leveling the Playing Field
This is the third post in our series covering key pillars of NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform, which advances recommendations that would level the playing field for small and mid-sized farms by supporting beginning farmers’ access to land and capital; fixing the flawed farm safety net and improving access for diversified farmers; and addressing corporate consolidation and restoring fair competition. … Read More →
NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform: Investing in Healthy Communities
This is the second post in NSAC’s series covering key pillars of NSAC’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform, focusing on how the Farm Bill can invest in healthy rural and urban communities by strengthening the resilience of local and regional supply chains, increasing market opportunities for small and mid-sized farms and processors, enhancing job growth and local economic development through workforce development and training, and ensuring the most vulnerable have ample access to nutritious, culturally-relevant, locally-produced foods…. Read More →
Release: Groups Share Bipartisan Principles for 2023 Farm Bill
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), R Street Institute, Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS), and U.S. PIRG released a joint set of farm bill reform principles in preparation for the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization. … Read More →
Release: NSAC Publishes Comprehensive 2023 Farm Bill Platform
NSAC’s comprehensive 2023 Farm Bill Platform provides title-by-title recommendations across farm bill programs and policies detailing how Congress can better support farmers and ranchers by strengthening their bottom lines, their communities, and their resilience. … Read More →
Farmers and Advocates Fly-in to DC to Call for Climate and Sustainability Action in the 2023 Farm Bill
With the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization on the horizon, advocates and farmers from across the country gathered in Washington, DC last month to champion the federal programs important to them and their communities. NSAC hosted a cohort of farmers, ranchers, and food systems advocates for more than thirty meetings with Congressional leaders and senior USDA officials to encourage them to prioritize sustainable food and farm needs in the upcoming farm bill and in ongoing program implementation efforts. … Read More →
Release: Farmers and Advocates Come to Washington to Call for Climate and Sustainability Action in the 2023 Farm Bill
This week, advocates and farmers from across the country came to Washington, DC to champion the federal programs important to them and their communities. A cohort of farmers, ranchers, and food systems advocates from 12 states joined NSAC for approximately 30 meetings with Congressional leaders and USDA officials to encourage them to prioritize sustainable food and farm needs in the upcoming farm bill and in ongoing program implementation efforts. … Read More →
Comment: NSAC Applauds National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health ahead of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. … Read More →
Welcome Back from Recess
This week, the House of Representatives and Senate are both in session for the first time since the end of the August Congressional recess. In this post, NSAC summarizes recent activities and maps out the upcoming landscape for the 118th Congress and its reauthorization of the farm bill…. Read More →
RCPP Grants: A New Take on Alternative Funding
USDA recently announced the availability of up to $40 million for nutrient management projects funded through grant agreements, called RCPP Grants. Applications for RCPP Grants will be accepted until October 31, 2022. In this post, NSAC provides background on RCPP, highlights some FY 2022 awards, and provides details on this new iteration of RCPP…. Read More →
Together at the Table: NSAC Members Reunited in Durham, NC for the 2022 Summer Meeting
For the first time in more than two years, nearly 100 members of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) traveled to Durham, North Carolina for the 2022 Summer Meeting. Meeting in person this time around (with some members joining virtually for several sessions) provided the opportunity to connect, share stories and build relationships to strengthen the coalition’s work year-round…. Read More →
Diversified Growing: Farmers Cultivating Community and the Necessity of Federal Funding for Farmer-led Education and Research Programs
Cultivating and substantiating farmer leadership through education and research initiatives is essential to generating an equitable and resilient food and farming system…. Read More →
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022: A Deep Dive on an Historic Investment in Climate and Conservation Agriculture
In this post NSAC takes a deep dive into the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 – an historic investment in climate and conservation agriculture. … Read More →
Release: NSAC Congratulates Senate on Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 Passage, Urges Swift House Action
For Immediate Release Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) press@sustainableagriculture.net / Tel: 347.563.6408 Release: NSAC Congratulates Senate on Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 Passage, Urges Swift House Action Funding Prioritizes Climate Solutions for Agriculture and Includes Key Coalition Priorities Washington, DC, August 7, 2022 – Today the full Senate passed the Inflation Reduction […]
Release: NSAC Urges Congress to Pass Historic Climate Package
Yesterday, after months of on-and-off negotiations, Senate leaders announced a proposed deal on legislation aimed at advancing key pieces of President Biden’s agenda, including measures to combat climate change. If passed, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 would, among other things, provide approximately $369.75 billion for energy security and climate change programs over the next ten years…. Read More →
Release: National Farmer Climate Story Week Showcases Climate Solutions
This week, across the country, advocates for sustainable agriculture are joining together in a week of action to highlight the impacts that farmers increasingly face from climate change and the solutions needed to mitigate and adapt their practices to build greater resiliency and to bolster the food system. The week of action also builds support for the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), a comprehensive set of policy changes that would steer agriculture in the US towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 and serves as an important roadmap for how the next farm bill can effectively address climate change. … Read More →
Digging into the 2023 Farm Bill: Senate Hearings Kick-Off the Long Road to the 2023 Farm Bill
NSAC details the recent Senate Agriculture Committee field hearing as a first step as part of the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization process. This is the first post in a multi-part series taking a deeper look into the 2023 Farm Bill process…. Read More →
RELEASE: New NSAC Report Projects Billions Saved Via Crop Insurance Subsidy Caps
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) published a special report projecting billions in taxpayer savings over 10 years if payment caps are instituted on federal subsidies paid to farmers who purchase crop insurance. … Read More →
CLEAR30 Sign-Up Open Now!
On April 1, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) opened enrollment for the Conservation Reserve Program’s (CRP) CLEAR30 subprogram – an important component of the larger Continuous Conservation Reserve Program. With both programs taking applications, NSAC offers a quick review of how these essential conservation tools function and shares key information for producers interested in applying…. Read More →
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program: Between Farm Bills
The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) was created in the 2014 Farm Bill through the combination of the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRE), the Grassland Reserve Program, and the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program. The program is administered through Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS,) and is divided into two tracks: a wetland easement component and an agricultural land easement (ALE) component. The 2018 Farm Bill gave ACEP a major increase in annual funding – adding $200 million per year as compared to levels under the 2014 Farm Bill. The 2018 Farm Bill also added new provisions to prioritize projects that maintain farm viability and land affordability. … Read More →